Protection
by falling into heaven
Summary: He hurt her, and he can't change that. Post ep to 1x02


_Ha, two in a day. Please review? It really makes me smile! _

_Thank you!_

_Anna :)_

Jaimie know had a full understanding of precisely how strong Dean was. During the operation as he knocked her down, it had winded her momentarially, but pissed her off more than anything. But now, after the case was resolved, and the pain barrier brought forwards dramatically thanks to the adrenilin and caffeine wearing off, she felt the dull throb of her ribs, the stiffness in her neck from the jerk it had suffered, the tenderness across her back and ribs.

Despite being stood in the middle of the office, she pulled up her t-shirt to expose her ribs, and glanced in the mirror, wincing at what she saw. Purple bruises blossomed in the pattern of Dean's arm, and as she twisted to see her back, it was mottled with bruises of varying severity. The hardwood floor had not softened the blow, and dean had landed next to her, so his arm had continued, pinning her to the floor. She took a few deep and even breaths, and heard nothing abnormal, no sharp pain as she inhaled, just the dull complaints she had been experiencing for a while.

"Damn, Jaimie."

She hadn't seen or heard him approach - poor instincts, considering she was literally looking in a mirror. Dean stood behind her, glaring at her battered body, arms folded tightly across his body. "It's not as bad as it looks." she sighed, probing the area gingerly, trying not to show the pain. Jaimie had always been tough; her stepfather broke her arm in two places, and she hadn't cried. Mainly out of defiance, but she'd dealt with it. She'd got into many fights, and never been all that bothered by the pain, but this... this hurt.

"Jaimie... was that from when I knocked you down?" he asked slowly, face pinched.

"Um... yeah. Kind of. But don't worry, I've had worse." she assured him with a slight smile.

"Doesn't suprise me, and I'm not worried. I'm pissed. Jesus... if I do this to you trying to protect you, protect the operation... What the hell's going to happen if you run point? Do you remember the Fed from the first case you worked with us? Almost tortured to death?"

She had to laugh. It was almost a reflex, what he was saying was so ridiculous. "Dean... I'm not a Fed. You know I can play a part. I'm a good liar, and I'm good at my job. And I can fight my own battles. I don't expect you to fight them for me, try protect me or worry about me."

"We're a team, Jaim." he shot back. "We protect each other, it's what we do. I'd expect you to protect me, I'd protect Ty..."

She softened slightly, realising how her argument had come across. "I'm sorry, I just meant-"

"Yeah, I know what you meant." he replied, one eyebrow raised as his accent thickened slightly. Don't think that just 'cause you're a woman you'll get any special treatment. You're here to do a job, and the only advantage you have over me is the fact that you can play guys like a fiddle, just like Ty has the advantage in certain neighborhoods, and Carter plays the buisnessman. We have our skills. I'm protecting you because you're in the unit. No other reason."

"Fine." she snapped, mildly offended by his reasoning. "But what I meant was that I _don't_ want any special treatment, I just want to be equal. I'm sick of people treating me like some dumb chick because I wear a bra. So don't assume you know me, Bendis. I'll tell you right now that you know nothing about me, and you're probably not going to."

Dean spun her to face him, hands resting on her upper arms. "You wanna know what I know? I know that you're lying, about _something_. You can see it in your eyes. The glint, the worry, the thrill... you do this job becuase you don't know how to do anything else. You lie for a living because you enjoy it, it's all you know. And you don't look for Ty's approval, because he's normal. Wife, house in the 'burbs... You want Carter to approve because he's your boss. And me... I think you want me to approve of you, because you see me in yourself. I'm like looking in a mirror for you."

She could feel her pulse quicken, and kept her eyes loked on his so her wouldn't be distracted by the physical signs of the effect his words were having on her.

His hands skimmed away, fingers tracing across the bruises, pain flickering in his eyes as he studied the damage he'd inflicted closely. "Arnica gel. Won't help the pain, but the bruises will heal faster."

She nodded, catching his hand in hers. "Look... it's not your fault, okay? I'm fine. Nothing broken, just bruised. Bet you hit Ty all the time undercover..."

"Sure. But he's Ty." Dean shrugged, unable to rid himself of the guilt.

Jaimie pulled down her shirt, touching his shoulder. "Dean, it's okay. We're okay."

"I don't hit women."

"I know."

They looked at each other for a beat longer, before Jaimie smiled. "Night, Dean."

"Night, Jaimie."


End file.
